English | Careers

The combination of critical problem solving and soft-touch people skills you gain with an English degree are in high demand by employers who need flexible and creative workers, no matter what the industry. Our program is specifically designed to ensure that Mount Mercy English majors are ready and able to acquire a job immediately after they graduate. Through internships, job shadowing, service learning, and other career preparation, Mount Mercy students learn how to put their English majors to use in the professional world pursing exciting careers as lawyers, business professionals, teachers, managers of non-profit organizations, and beyond.

The Mount Mercy English major or minor is vital to your job market success, even if your desired career isn't within the bounds of literature. Here's one of the professional world's best-kept secrets: employers are desperately searching for employees with the skills our English students learn every day — analytical, communication, critical thinking, persuasion, problem solving, and writing skills.

Read what Mount Mercy English majors are saying about the preparation they received to succeed in the workforce:

“I came to Mount Mercy as an English major with some vague notions of becoming a creative writer; by the time I graduated I realized that the writing, communication and critical analysis — “English major” stuff — were skills and disciplines with mass appeal and applicability. During graduate school I was offered a job at a local advertising firm through a business teacher I had befriended, who told me emphatically that many companies look for potential hires with the typical English major skill set because it’s easier to teach them the specifics of the job than to read, write, and think.”

— Joseph Hendryx ‘04

“Lots of employers need workers who can communicate in clear, engaging ways. Majoring in English gives you a great foundation in writing and speaking. Plus, English courses are just fun! After college, it's harder to find such great opportunities for discussion about life's big questions. Keep taking English classes — if you love them and work hard, you'll find a way to make a living off of the fascinating things you'll learn!”

— Celine Klosterman ‘06

“You can’t go wrong with an English degree. The skills you learn in your classes will make you more marketable in whatever profession you choose!”